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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. net — after costs
  3. firm — decided
  4. swing — music
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stand — to bear
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. net — in sport
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. swing — in golf
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. swing — to play on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. firm — steady
  21. land — ground
  22. net — for catching
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com